Cost of uniforms

[Gillemeow]

Does anyone else's school have a huge amount of expensive branded items? New rules introduced in November 2021 were supposed to stop this but many schools are ignoring to them.

Help to stop expensive school uniforms. Please sign and share my petition.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/641227

Re the netball kit, this breaches the following part of the guidance:
"No pupil should be discouraged from participating in any aspect of school life, such as interschool competitions, because of the cost of additional uniform requirements."

If the individual PE items are expensive and branded this is probably worth complaining about too. The guidance specifically states branded socks are unnecessary. Happy to help draft a letter if needed.

I completely agree too.

It's extremely unfair, especially on those on low incomes and benefits. The uniform grant nowhere near covers the cost of all this stuff.

If all those items are branded it definitely sounds like it's worth complaining. Happy to help with this if needed.

Just a word of warning our school scrapped its PE kit (primary) I have just been conned out of a £46 tracksuit, £24 drill top and £13 shorts by a 9 year old! He will also be taking a T-shirt from home that was likey around the £10 mark! Most of kids will be in the same brands so Primark etc isn't really an option!

Secondary the eldest is starting (and one of the reasons we picked it over the very much desired locally was-outstanding... now downgraded... nearest school) set out its uniform expectations as:
You need the right tie, blazer (buy it big) and PE top. For the rest - get yourselves to Asda or M+S or wherever's got the sale on. And then "you can buy the logo jumpers - but I'll tell you that our buildings run hot so hardly anyone wears them so only buy one or two at the most". Followed by "any sensible coat will do - and get them into a brighter coloured one for the dark nights if you can persuade them to"

Also two uniform suppliers with the school contract so not the usual monopoly (and great since one has run out of y7 size blazers and the other still has stock)!

I loved the refreshing approach to it compared to the other local schools (and the kids look no "scruffier")

The one that gets me is the argument for school logos on the hems of girls' skirts - to stop them rolling them up. But if you roll skirts up (not that I ever ever ever ever ever did so) - you roll them up at the waistband so the hem logo is still a hem logo just floating somewhere around your arsecrack instead?

I think at one of our local secondary schools, the logo is on or near the waistband of the skirt, so the girls can't roll them up as they need to be on show.

My daughter’s school has recently been re-assessed as outstanding and is in an affluent area where many parents could afford private but send their girls to the state option as it is high performing and well thought of. I think they like the branded uniform as it’s part of the “elite feel” of the school, but of course this isn’t fair if it intimidates other parents into not sending their daughters there. What I will say though is that my daughter is still wearing the same uniform I bought for her 3 years ago as it is well made and hard wearing and luckily she hasn’t changed much in size (I did buy slightly oversized for year 7!)

Signed. This makes me so incensed.

Also Name changed as I have ranted about this to people I know!

I've just added up the cost of essential items for DD's state secondary. I have included 2 blouses and one of everything else (even though one skirt is probably pushing it).

Blazer £66.99
Blouses x 2 £50
Jumper £21
Skirt £28.99
Apron £12
PE polo £20.00
PE skort £18
PE Hoodie £34
House PE socks £9.99 (don't ask)
Plain PE socks £7.99
Tracksuit Bottoms £48.

https://www.fostersschoolwear.co.uk/shop/?school=The+Hertfordshire+and+Essex+High+School+%28H%26E%29

These items are all compulsory and uniform marks are given to students who don't wear correct uniform, even down to the ridiculous PE socks.

Before adding coats, bags and shoes - which I accept would be needed anyway, that list is £316.96, meaning the total outlay will be north of £400. If it was just a branded blazer and everything else could be bought from high street stores it would probably cost half that.

Does anyone know any journalists? It would be great if this thread was picked up.

Ds school provide all pupils with blazer, tie and pe kit (shorts and t shirt) when they start. It’s a low income area so it helps it be a level playing field. They then work with a local charity who redistribute uniform which has been grown out of.

if you need to buy any items new they are relatively reasonably priced (£28 for the blazer, £12 each for shorts and t shirts) and decent quality.

ds is just going into year 9 and his orignal blazer still fits and is as good as new. I have my nephews old one which he will move into so I doubt I will have to buy one at all thankfully!

it shows schools - and uniform companies - can do thinks at a reasonable price if they make the effort.

@CoffeeWithCheese sounds as sensible as ours.. much less cost

@Qu1ckchange £25 a shirt?!?!

I'd ask the school what the purpose of the branded uniforms are exactly.
the purpose of uniforms is to keep the children uniform. they can insist on a certain colour, but a logo is unnecessary.

If they can't provide a reason why the children need to identify the school they go to publicly, that outweighs the risks of that, then I would ask then why should I pay for them? I'm buying the right colour, there's no reason to need the logo, so that's what I will do. We are in a cost of living crisis.

Maybe we can share some extreme examples as there are some about

One of local ones
Boys PE shorts £15
Girls skort £18
PE tops £16-18
Games jersey £28
Warm training top £25-30
All multi colour with logo so won't be worn outside of school.
One of my mates state schools insisted that all items had DC initials on - more cost & can't hand on

@Qu1ckchange that's my old school! Interesting to see what they are wearing now, looks about as horrible as it did back in the day.

Ours is pretty compliant, imo.
Change from £60 for a branded pe kit, Blazer and tie labeled as an essentials kit. PE kit doesn't need to be logged so could get elsewhere - but the shorts are a stoopid colour. Would then need trousers, shirts and shoes from a generic shop.

With bells on. Just seen another school near me go to tartan skirts. £30 a go. My DDs black ones were 2 for £12 in Tesco

Oh, except if you want to wear a skirt, I'd guess that has to come from the uniform shop, as it's pretty distinctive. No idea on cost.

@SuperSue77
There is a Trust near me that does that. Fancy blazers which are £10-15 more than other schools & heavily branded stuff and tartan kilts. They want to put off the riff raff lol

I don’t understand how some schools can provide the blazers/uniforms for free while others don’t? Surely it should be all or none as at every school in every area there will be a range of different circumstances.

It annoys me as well that some schools near where I work provide a free breakfast club every day whereas ours doesn’t even have one to pay for. There is a private one next door which costs £££

I always assumed that's to do with deprived areas funding of some type!
Ours doesn't offer free uniform ( does offer preloved) but breakfast club is free due to local charitable donations

Black jeans/ black trainers and a white shirt where we are with an optional black jumper. The only branded thing we need to buy is a tie.

Signed, shared, bumped!

£250 spent so far and still have to get shoes. SIGNED AND SHARED!!!!

This included a branded lab coat with name required to be embroidered. Fucking ridiculous.